El Clásico and Other Potential Deciders
An exciting weekend of football awaits us this weekend with many top matches taking place across Europe’s big leagues. Let’s take a look at some of this weekend’s biggest fixtures!
The importance of some matches is somewhat diminished by the fact that the league has already been decided in England, for example. That being said, the clash between the league’s top two is vital for Arsenal to hold on to second spot as they are being chased down by those behind them. Another major highlight of the weekend is the last Clásico of the season from Spain, with much on the line for both teams as neither have the opportunity to win a European trophy any more. Serie A remains hotly contested too and there are important clashes between Lazio and Juventus and Bologna and AC Milan in the battle for European places. Bayern Munich have wrapped up the league in Germany but there is still much to play for in Germany too, with Dortmund hoping their recent good run can salvage what has been a very poor season.
Most of the top clashes are on Sunday but there are some interesting games taking place on the other days too, starting with AC Milan’s match against Bologna on Friday. On Saturday there is a tough match in the fight for a European spot in the PL as Bournemouth host Aston Villa in the late afternoon kick off. German champions Bayern play at home to Gladbach and the match of the day is the game between Lazio and Juventus. Atlético Madrid will be looking to close the gap to their city rivals when they host Real Sociedad in the late kick-off.
Sunday is a bumper day in the PL, starting off with Newcastle versus Chelsea, an important match in the battle for CL football. Two teams who are right near the bottom of the table, Manchester United and West Ham, play against each other at 3.15 p.m. in one of three matches before the highlight of the day at 5.30 p.m. when champions Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield. Dortmund face a tough match against second placed team Leverkusen on Sunday, and both Inter and Napoli are in action as they battle it out for the league title in Italy. The match of the weekend from Spain’s top division is undoubtedly the Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the visitors knowing that they need a win to reignite their challenge for the league title.
Monday’s highlight is the match between 3rd and 5th in Italy as Atalanta host AS Roma, a vital head to head between two teams battling it out to finish in the top four.
Lazio vs Juventus
Stadio Olimpico, Saturday @ 18:00
There are only three rounds remaining in Serie A and the battle for the top four places is still very much on with Lazio and Juventus both in contention for a place. There is only one point between fourth and seventh currently, so any poor result can have a big impact at this stage. The home side have picked a good time to go on an unbeaten run, currently at six matches. Last weekend they won their game against Empoli 1-0 but they have only managed to draw their last three home matches, something which has held them back somewhat. A draw here would mean six successive home draws but they will be hoping that their recent good record against Juventus will allow them to break that streak. Lazio have managed to win the last three home head to heads against the Turin giants, so perhaps they are the ideal opponent for Lazio at this stage.
Last weekend, Juventus managed a 1-1 draw against another team battling it out at the top end of the table, Bologna. It is currently goal difference that is keeping Igor Tudor’s team in the top four and they only have two wins from their last five matches. This, on paper, is their toughest remaining match as they must then face Udinese and Empoli, so a draw will probably be viewed as a good result in such circumstances. Juventus will need to up their game in terms of away results though, they are winless in their last seven away fixtures against teams in the top half of the table.
Newcastle vs Chelsea
St James Park, Sunday @ 13:00
There is very little to choose between these two teams heading into this vital PL clash early on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea’s good run has seen them rise up the table and their win over Liverpool last weekend has put them right back in contention for a CL place. Newcastle currently hold fourth place despite having identical points and goal difference but they might feel a bit disappointed by the fact they only managed a draw last weekend at Brighton. This weekend sees Newcastle return to St. James Park and will hope that advantage will be enough to get the result they need to keep Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa at bay. Alexander Isak is now five goals behind Mo Salah in the goalscoring charts, but will not have given up hope of winning the PL Golden boot.
Chelsea’s recent good run has come at an excellent time and a top four finish will be just what the club needs. A return to the CL will be more than welcome by everyone associated with Chelsea, despite having had a strong season in the ECL. A win here and they will be in pole position with even second spot still up for grabs. The 62 goals scored by Chelsea is the lowest of any in the top four and the club will be relieved that Cole Palmer finally got his name on the scoresheet last weekend after his longest goal drought. He has been the key player for Chelsea over the last two seasons so having him firing on all cylinders heading into the final few matches might be the key difference.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Dortmund
BayArena, Sunday @ 15:30
Bayer Leverkusen were unable to defend their league title crown, despite a few slip-ups over recent weeks from Bayern Munich. They are guaranteed second spot now, so they only have pride to play for in these final rounds. This match does give them the opportunity to complete their first head to head league win over Dortmund since 2006/07. Since that season, Leverkusen have only won three of the seventeen home matches between the two. Leverkusen go into this match unbeaten in their last seven league games and they also have an extraordinary record of not losing any of their last 27 matches held on a Sunday. Jonathan Tah has announced he will be the latest player to leave Leverkusen after the expiration of his contract, so this will be one of his last matches for the German team.
Dortmund, on the other hand, have a lot to play for as they have managed to get themselves back into contention for a CL spot. Their recent good run has seen them go from the lower half of the table right up to fifth place and another win here has the potential to see them move above Freiburg into fourth. With this being the penultimate matchday, they will know that they need a win to keep their top four hopes alive and they will hope that facing a Leverkusen side with nothing to play for will work in their favour. Serhou Guirassy has been a man in form, scoring seven goals in his last four Dortmund appearances.
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Anfield, Sunday @ 17:30
The importance of the top of the table clash might be somewhat diminished by the fact that Liverpool have already won the league and already celebrated. Nevertheless there is likely to be a festival atmosphere at Anfield as fans continue to make the most of this occasion. Mo Salah is still fighting out for top goalscorer and with three games to go it looks like he is set to add another accolade to his collection. Liverpool themselves are the league’s top goalscorers by some distance and they will be optimistic of getting the better of an Arsenal side who might be fatigued following their midweek CL loss at the hands of PSG.
Arsenal will go another season without picking up a trophy following their elimination from the CL. Second place is still very much on the cards and that would be their third successive runners up spot in the PL. Whether that is enough for the fans and owners remains to be seen but the lack of silverware is surely likely to start to worry manager Arteta. They go into this match only three points ahead of a resurgent Manchester City and defeat here will make it tight for the last two matches. The Gunners only have one win in their last five matches as their focus has been firmly on the CL, it will be a challenge to recover and switch attentions on to finishing as strongly as possible in the league. The lack of a striker has really damaged the Londoners, their top goalscorer this season remains Kai Havertz with nine league goals.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Sunday @ 16:15
Barcelona will need to gather themselves after their emotional night in the CL on Tuesday, when they were eliminated by Inter after extra time. Their focus must now turn to domestic matters once again as they look to ensure that they will win the league title this season. They go into this match with a four point gap over rivals Real Madrid, so it is very much in their hands. A draw will be regarded as a success as there will only be three matches left after this round but a win will ensure that they are virtually champions. Barcelona have gotten the better of Real so far this season, winning the previous league match 4-0 and also winning the Super Cup and the Copa del Rey clashes. One more win will be a clean sheet for the Catalan giants and they will be boosted by the return of star striker Robert Lewandowski, who was only able to make a cameo appearance off the bench in midweek.
Real Madrid have confirmed that manager Carlo Ancelotti is going to leave the club at the end of the season after a very successful stint. He will go down as the most decorated manager in the club’s history and will be hoping to add one more piece of silverware to the impressive haul of 15 trophies that he has acquired for the club. Real have won three of their previous four La Liga matches on Barcelona soil but this season they have been far less convincing against fellow title rivals, failing to beat either Barcelona or Atlético Madrid. Kylian Mbappe is one goal behind Robert Lewandowski in the goalscoring charts and will be hoping to get the better of his opponent, so as to at least win a personal award this season.
Last Updated: 08.05.2025
